Oracle vs. AWS: Larry Ellison Takes MySQL HeatWave to the AWS Cloud

An olive branch or another way to clobber the competition?

Hello to all of the new Cloud Database Report subscribers — it’s great to have you with us!

For years, Oracle Chairman & CTO Larry Ellison has bad-mouthed AWS. And for just as long, Amazon execs have given it right back.

Exhibit A: “Larry Ellison Knocks AWS Over Outage” - CRN

Exhibit B: “Amazon Cloud Chief Jabs Oracle.” - CNBC

Now there’s a new twist on this long-running, no-holds-barred competition: Oracle plans to begin offering its MySQL HeatWave database on AWS.

Why is Oracle taking its latest (if not greatest) database platform into enemy territory?

Ellison answered that question on Oracle’s Q3 FY22 earnings call in early March:

“We're going after the Aurora user base and the Redshift and Snowflake user base,” Ellison said. “We want to make it really easy to convert from Aurora and Redshift, or Aurora and Snowflake, to Oracle HeatWave. And if we're running an AWS, for example, you press a button, a couple of buttons, and your data is moved immediately to Oracle MySQL HeatWave. You …